1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to associative memories and, in particular, a system and method for clustering data using associative memory technology.
2. Background
Clustering is a technique used in data management, mining, or interpretation. Data is clustered into related groups in a manner that makes managing, mining, or interpreting the data easier or more understandable. Clustering may be used to group objects together that share similar characteristics in order to learn something about those objects. Thus, clustering allows a user to study data from a different perspective by observing relationships among objects in the cluster.
However, problems can arise when performing clustering. For example, a clustering algorithm may return a group of objects that do not immediately appear to have any relationship to each other. In other words, the relationship or relationships that caused the objects to be grouped together may be hidden to a user, either because the data has a hidden relationship or because the user does not adequately understand the data. As a result, the user may not achieve a desired understanding of the data. Likewise, a user may not be able to name adequately a particular cluster or to identify the group to which the clustered objects belong. In another example, the relationships among objects in the underlying data may not be clearly specified, meaning that the attributes which connect clusters together may be inadequate for the user's purposes. Accordingly, the result of clustering may appear confusing to a user, and the user may not understand why the results are confusing.
Inadequacies in clustering usually are derived from either confused or complicated data, or the user's inability to understand the data once presented. Techniques for overcoming or mitigating these inadequacies are desirable.